Martin Cate plots Whitechapel, a world class gin bar in San Francisco

Bartender Martin Cate makes the Top Notch Volcano Punch at Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco. Photo: John Storey/The Chronicle

Since opening in 2009, Hayes Valley cocktail destination Smuggler’s Cove has established itself as one of the world’s best rum bars.

Now, owner Martin Cate is working on a second San Francisco project — and this time, he’s looking toward the realm of gin.

Along with bartender Alex Smith, a 2011 Chronicle Bar Star who has worked at Novela and Gitane, Cate will open a themed bar and restaurant serving what he plans to be the largest gin selection in North America. Located in the 2,000-square-foot old Noble nightclub space on Polk Street, it will be named Whitechapel.

“Gin is really coming into its own these days,” Cate tells Scoop. “It’s an exciting time for gin. There are more producers making great gin with great ingredients than ever before.”

Cate points out that gin sales patterns are changing, too: Low quality gins are down, and premium and super premium gins are on the rise. “It shows people are appreciating it more, and consumers are more educated about it,” he adds.

But gin can be tricky to use in cocktails. It’s both a base spirit and a modifier, which is a double-edged sword. “It’s not a spirit that you can use whichever one. It has to be well thought out.”

That’s where Smith comes in. He’s got a rich experience with gin, Cate says, and actually came to Cate with the concept. Smith will create a list that includes a historical survey of gin classics, regional specialties, and modern cocktails. Expect a private label gin made by San Francisco’s Distillery 209, plus plenty of small batch gins and rare historic bottles. Similar to Smuggler’s Cove’s Rumbustion Society, there will be a gin club, to be named the Polk Street Irregulars.

And also like Smuggler’s Cove, expect Whitechapel to be heavily themed.

“If it’s got my name on it, it’s probably going to be a little over the top. That’s a safe assumption,” says Cate.

So the theme: Whitechapel is based around the idea of the dozens of abandoned London underground stations.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the abandoned stations, and what if some people turned one into a hidden distillery,” says Cate, with a chuckle, explaining that the bar will imagine that very scenario, with Victorian metalwork, a large back bar, and private rooms. “We’re calling it ‘Victorian fantasia’ because it’s something that never really existed.”

The name refers to a district in east London where there was a concentration of gin production in the 18th and 19th centuries. Historically, it was a bit rough around the edges, but today, it’s a vibrant neighborhood with a strong Bangladeshi community.

The food at Whitechapel will play with some of those Bangladeshi flavors, but will heed more closely to sharable and contemporary British and Dutch-inspired fare. The chef will be Caleb Jones, who was dubbed by Michael Bauer as a “chef to watch” during his time at Claudine.